Emergency Relief

IKEA Foundation contributes to emergency relief aid. During the initial state of emergency, IKEA Foundation can provide IKEA products to support humanitarian relief efforts and later contribute to projects addressing the long term reconstruction and rehabilitation work.

Example of recent and ongoing IKEA Foundation emergency work:

IKEA Foundation helps Haiti children after earthquake

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake devastated impoverished Haiti's capital PortauPrince, leaving three million people in urgent need of assistance. Some 90 percent of schools in and around the capital were damaged or destroyed.

IKEA Foundation has made an inkind donation of towels, blankets, eating tools and soft toys – a total of more than 66,000 IKEA products – for distribution by UNICEF staff on the ground in Haiti.

A massive earthquake jolted Sichuan and neighbouring provinces in May 2008. The earthquake was the most devastating natural disaster in China in 30 years, leaving more than 5 million homeless. The many destroyed school buildings also left thousands of children without proper schooling.

Initially, the IKEA Foundation made an in-kind donation in order to meet the urgent shelter needs of displaced children and families in temporary settlements and children in boarding schools in Sichuan. A total of 100,000 items such as school bags, sleeping bags, bath towels, bed sheets and sets of dishware were delivered through UNICEF.

In addition, the IKEA Foundation decided to support UNICEF with the much needed reconstruction work in the neighbouring Gansu province. The commitment includes financial support for prefabricated classrooms, educational materials, school furniture and teacher training to the most vulnerable and needy schools, as well as investments in improved water and sanitation in their communities.

These investments will benefit more than 9,000 children and over 200 teachers in 39 primary schools located in remote rural areas not covered by the government reconstruction plan.